What’s preventing BIM level 2 adoption in the public sector?
The scenario public sector face
Thanks to the mandate set by the UK Government in their Construction Strategy 2011, from April 2016 all centrally procured public sector projects require the implementation of BIM at Level 2 - essentially, all project and asset information, documentation and data in electronic format.
Yet why in 2017 are nearly 38% of public sector authorities well behind the Government mandated standard when delivering capital projects?
Risk of failure?
Surveys conducted by leading industry sources like the NBS National BIM Report 2017 suggest there are several barriers why some, not all, public sector authorities are not confidently adopting BIM and reaping benefits of its implementation. Barriers include:
Inadequate proven BIM return on investment
Limited or no BIM resources and expertise
People’s skill levels and their ability to change and be re-trained
Lack of robust business cases
Resistance to process changes
Confusion with software and technology
Incompatibility between design software
Too busy to research requirements
Confusion over BIM compliance
Integration issues with the supply chain
Savings through BIM
The fundamental outcomes for BIM include reduced waste, better whole-life costing, more efficient construction leading to potentially a quicker build and lower costs. Strategically, there are further benefits realised including more effective stakeholder engagement, transparency of proposals, greater predictability of outcomes and fewer project and programme risks.
Solved with software?
Unfortunately, BIM is not a piece of software therefore there isn’t a quick fix and it will not give you an direct return on investment. Although software is an enabler, it is the people, processes and technology which require the real attention. The BIM industry is also saturated by software vendors selling BIM-authoring software, however, impartial advice and a reliable voice which cuts above the noise is somewhat of a relief and what clients want.
Clear advice, implementation and delivery support
The BIMstitute (bimstitute.com) provides clients with a clear, unified, unbiased source of advice and implementation support. Managed by BIM experts, The BIMstitute brings together all the strands of the BIM industry and helps you select the most appropriate solution to overcome the aforementioned barriers to successful BIM adoption. In such a fragmented BIM landscape, The BIMstitute is providing clear answers and real implementation support to public and private sector organisations.
BIM for Enfield Council - Meridian Water project
At the tail end of 2016, The BIMstitute partnered with delivery company Specialist Project Integration Ltd (SPI) to provide BIM implementation services for Enfield Council on a major £3.5bn regeneration programme. `Meridian Water` includes mixed use rail, residential, commercial and retail which will create 10,000 new homes on an 82 hectare site in North London.
With over 25 project teams and stakeholders including contractors, developer, engineers, utilities, rail and more, it was imperative that the information generated was controlled and managed in a Common Data Environment (CDE) from the very start. This was to prevent data duplication which can cause safety issues and create delays during the programme whilst improving the flow and quality of data.
The BIMstitute and SPI team undertook identification and analysis of Common Data Environment solutions across the market and provided technical recommendations based on thorough research to suit the project requirements. This saved the Council significant time and administration costs and provided confidence to the team with training and assurance that they invested in the optimum solution to suit all parties for such a major project.
Let’s not fall behind on BIM
BIM requires complete buy-in and change management to the entire organisation’s way of thinking. On a national scale, there is a real emphasis for UK plc to be global leaders of BIM adoption, due to the BIM mandate in 2016. Failure to adopt BIM both organisation-wide and nation-wide could leave us behind other forward-thinking nations.
For more information and queries to support your BIM adoption and implementation contact:
Simon Wray, Infrastructure Lead, The BIMstitute
E: simon.wray@bimstitute.com
T: 0330 22 32 489
W: www.bimstitute.com
Meet the team?
Come see us on Stand 232 at the National Infrastructure Forum on Tuesday 13th of June 2017. Get your free ticket at http://www.infrastructure.co.uk